I must admit that I have not yet looked at the 1,260 page legal text of the agreement between the UK and the European Union or even the summary document. Boris may says its an extra Christmas present, but it is one I could live without for now.
For four-and-a-half years I have been answering media queries on Brexit. I agreed to be media point man for our Comms Office over the festive period and was hoist with my own petard.
For example, on Christmas Eve I had to deal with an enquiry from a national newspaper about alleged attempts by President Macron to rule Europe. At 8 pm I had to go live on France24, although fortunately not to deal with any suspicions that Macron is a shape shifting lizard. At 5.30 am on Christmas Day, my phone rang again.
So I am quite looking forward to getting my life back. If I was a MP or a member of the upper house, I would vote in favour of the deal on the grounds that a thin deal is better than no deal at all. (BTW, congratulations to my former student Vernon Coaker on his peerage, but it does need reforming).
I did vote for remain and I actually campaigned in the north of England. Invited to be the warm up act for Ken Clarke by Skipton's MP, I encountered an audience full of UKIP supporters. The first question asked was why was I a waffler? (Less so than some academics). The second was how much the EU paid me. (Nothing).
When Ken came on, a man walked on to the platform, pointed his finger at Ken and said 'You are a traitor to the country, Mr Clarke.' Needless to say, Ken was not in the least bothered and gave a lively speech with some good jokes.
Having seen the EU close up sitting on a technical committee and as a research leader, as well as organising a MPA class in Brussels for many years, I have a lot of concerns with its decision-making processes. Reforming them is a monumental effort. If reform was possible, we wouldn't have had a dysfunctional and expensive Common Agricultural Policy for so long.
Nevertheless, I am sceptical about the possibilities of a new special relationship for the UK. The idea of the UK sitting at the heart of three overlapping circles of the US, Europe and the Commonwealth doesn't wash any more. I persuaded Andrew Gamble to write an essay for Political Quarterly on Brexit and the 'Anglosphere': https://politicalquarterly.blog/2020/12/15/after-brexit-the-anglosphere/
For me it's goodbye to the EU not au revoir. We could only be readmitted on tough terms. However, I see that a petition on a referendum to rejoin has started.
What I would find much more of a blow is the end of the union with Scotland which is a real risk. As someone of Scottish descent in the direct male line and a graduate of a Scottish university, I would feel I was losing part of my identity. More significantly, an England without Scotland could well be a less pleasant place.
As Anand Menon points out, we could be in for a very interesting debate about deregulation versus an interventionist state: https://ukandeu.ac.uk/a-deal-is-done-but-what-happens-now/?fbclid=IwAR233hWOYZ7dgLCE0MB6uc5HXmDOIeCtgDMqlHjSGnSx1oHHS-4QlIZpB0g
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